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Orioles reassign five after Thursday's win

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By Brittany Ghiroli
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MLB.com |

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles reassigned five players to Minor League camp following Thursday's 11-10 win over the Blue Jays, marking their first spring cuts.

Among those were two of the organization's top pitching prospects, behind Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman, in Eduardo Rodriguez and Mike Wright. Lefty Zach Braddock, who has been rehabbing back from labrum surgery, and catchers Luis Martinez and Allan de San Miguel were also reassigned to Twin Lakes.

Rodriguez, 19, was the youngest player in camp and pitched a scoreless ninth inning -- allowing just one hit -- against Team Spain. He also threw in the team's intrasquad game last month and went 5-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 22 starts for Class-A Delmarva.

"He wasn't here with a chance to make the club," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "When we looked at guys who could benefit from being here, he was one of them because of all the things we could expose him to. When I asked him, 'OK, why do you think you were here? What did you gain; what did you see?' And when he said, the best pitchers are the ones that work the hardest, I said, 'OK, you are getting it.'"

Wright was also in his first big league camp, and he appeared in three spring games, most recently two innings Thursday in which he allowed a run on three hits.

"Very similar stuff [to Rodriguez], except we just want to get him back on track," Showalter said of Wright, who went 10-5 with 4.06 ERA in 20 games last season. "He was a good-looking pitcher last year when he left here. Still have some high hopes for him. We had some periods where he got out of whack last year. Good to see him finish on a high note today."

Martinez did not get in any spring games, sustaining a left oblique strain in one of the early workouts, and he is close to returning to action.

"When they tell us he's ready to go and he's caught a little bit over there, we'll bring him back over for two or three good looks at him, four- or five-inning stints," Showalter said. "I really want to look at him. We've got some good reports on him, especially defensively, so you'll see him again."

De San Miguel also did not get into a game, and he left camp early to play for Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic. Braddock has finished the rehab portion of his program and is ready to start pitching batting practice, which is why he was reassigned.

Thursday's moves give the Orioles 56 players in Major League camp, including 16 non-roster invitees.